Multiple Magdalenes
On the feast of St. Mary Magdalene [July 22], I began morning
prayer as I often do reading a little about the day's celebration. I found
myself embroiled in controversy! Just who was
Mary Magdalene? The West conflates the three Marys—penitent woman, sister
of Martha and Lazarus and the woman at the cross and at the tomb. In the East
these are seen as three separate people. My knee-jerk was to suspect the
Eastern tradition was probably more historical and it was in this frame of mind
I began my morning meditation. Then Mary started weeping at the tomb.
My mind went to that other woman weeping at the feet of her
Christ. Then I considered the sister of Martha, so absorbed in Jesus she was
oblivious to the womanly tasks that were her shared responsibility. What these
women all had/have in common is intense love of Jesus. So, the Western
tradition has a certain attractive sensibility. We are enamored by those who
passionately love our Savior, who fawn and blubber over him. The intense love
of the Marys is inspiration for us all. One can argue whether keeping all this
love together in one person is more or less helpful than having it manifested
in three separate individuals. The important thing is the love, and that is not
lost no matter how you slice it—or don’t. The love is certainly historical, and
because so many of us continue to feel this way about our Savior, not merely
historical, but very contemporary.